Sweet Potato as a Key Crop for Food Security under the Conditions of Global Climate Change: A Review

Abstract

Sweet potato is one of the most economically important crops for addressing global food security and climate change issues, especially under conditions of extensive agriculture, such as those found in developing countries. However, osmotic stress negatively impacts the agronomic and economic productivity of sweet potato cultivation by inducing several morphological, physiological, and biochemical changes. Plants employ many signaling pathways to respond to water stress by modifying their growth patterns, activating antioxidants, accumulating suitable solutes and chaperones, and making stress proteins. These physiological, metabolic, and genetic modifications can be employed as the best indicators for choosing drought-tolerant genotypes. The main objective of sweet potato breeding in many regions of the world, especially those affected by drought, is to obtain varieties that combine drought tolerance with high yields. In this regard, the study of the physiological and biochemical features of certain varieties is important for the implementation of drought resistance measures. Adapted genotypes can be selected and improved for particular growing conditions by using suitable tools and drought tolerance-related selection criteria. By regulating genetics in this way, the creation of drought-resistant varieties may become cost-effective for smallholder farmers. This review focuses on the drought tolerance mechanisms of sweet potato, the effects of drought stress on its productivity, its crop management strategies for drought mitigation, traditional and molecular sweet potato breeding methods for drought tolerance, and the use of biotechnological methods to increase the tolerance of sweet potato to drought.

The Cooperation Regulation of Antioxidative System and Hormone Contents on Physiological Responses of Wedelia trilobata and Wedelia chinensis under Simulated Drought Environment

“…This indicates that the response of different tissue parts of these two plants to the drought environment was different. W. trilobata and W. chinensis exhibited different endogenous hormones in the two simulated drought conditions, indicating different adaptation mechanisms: The hormone contents in aboveground parts and underground parts of W. trilobata ( Table 3 ) followed ABA > IAA > GA during PEG-simulated drought [ 44 ]. The hormone content in aboveground parts and underground parts of W. chinensis followed IAA > ABA > GA during PEG-simulated drought; the distribution pattern of IAA > ABA > GA in the aboveground and underground of the two plants under natural drought was the same ( Table 3 ) [ 45 ].…”

Plant Biotechnology—An Indispensable Tool for Crop Improvement

“…Field trials conducted in different agro-ecological regions in Kenya have revealed that the three mutants have better tolerance to these diseases than their respective parents [ 56 ]. On the other hand, an attempt to increase β carotene content by co-expression of transgenes for deoxy-d-xylulose-5-phosphate synthase and bacterial phytoene synthase in cassava resulted in reduced dry matter and starch content, despite a 15–20-fold increase in carotenoids [ 57 ].…”

“…Sweet potato ( Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam—Convolvulaceae) is the other most important root and tuber crop cultivated worldwide, ranking seventh overall in terms of production [ 57 ] and having considerable potential to reduce the Global Hunger Index, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, the Pacific Islands, and parts of Asia [ 58 ]. Hexaploidy and self- and cross-incompatibility in sweet potato introduce difficulties in using both traditional breeding and genomic approaches for their improvement.…”

NIR sensors combined with chemometric algorithms in intelligent quality evaluation of sweetpotato roots from ‘Farm’ to ‘Table’: Progresses, challenges, trends, and prospects

“…1 . Sweetpotato is well-suited to tropical and subtropical climates, contributing significantly to the food supply in regions like Southeast Asia ( Sapakhova et al, 2023 ). In many developing countries, sweetpotato is a vital component of subsistence farming, playing a crucial role in addressing food shortage issues in part of regions in history, as its nature of cold and drought tolerance, good adaptability to different climates, as well as reliable source of nutrition ( Fuglie, 2007 ).…”